OUR TESTIMONIALS

Maria, 67 years old and lives in Inhambane, Mozambique. Both her lower leg and forearm were amputated.

As a young mother of five children, her husband began to physically abuse each time they had an argument. During one such argument, he attacked her with a knife, severing her arm entirely before continuing to assault the rest of her body. Believing he had killed her, he went to the police to turn himself in. But Maria was alive! Unfortunately, due to the severity of her other injuries, the doctors had to amputate part of her leg as well, which turned her life into a permanent prison.

But Maria did not give up. With the support of her neighbours and family, she forged ahead in life. During the SwissABILITY training in Inhambane in August 2024, Maria received a Monolimb prosthesis that brought a smile back to her face.

Joseph is 42 years old and is a refugee from South Sudan.

In 2021, during the civil war, rebels raided his home and shot his father and all his uncles who were with him at the time. Despite the bullet lodged in his leg, Joseph managed to escape. After spending four days hiding in the forest, he found people willing to help him get to a hospital in the nearby Democratic Republic of the Congo, where doctors amputated his leg.

To be close to his family, he was able to move from the DRC to the Bidibidi refugee settlement in Uganda, where his wife and six children were waiting for him. Joseph received a Monolimb prosthesis during the SwissABILITY mission in Uganda in June 2024.

Ibrahim is 4 years old and lives in Sierra Leone. He is a lively child full of energy who brings joy to those around him.

Due to a congenital condition, he was born missing some fingers on his hands, a part of one leg, and a clubfoot on the other.

During the mission in Freetown in February 2024, the SwissABILITY technicians prepared a special orthosis for his clubfoot as well as a new custom leg. Without hesitation, Ibrahim agreed to try the new prosthetics. His determination surprised everyone: in no time, he was able to walk, run, and play with his friends. Thanks to this new leg, Ibrahim has gained a new sense of freedom. Now he can explore the world with renewed energy, take on new challenges as he continues to bring smiles to those he meets.

We met Almeida in Quelimane, Mozambique, during the SwissABILITY training for orthopedic technicians in December 2023.

At the age of 13, Almeida was forced to join the army, where he served for ten years. Just as the war was ending, and he was about to be discharged, he stepped on a land-mine, loosing his leg in an instant.

Upon returning home, he discovered that his entire family had died during the war he fought in to protect them. His parents and some of his siblings lost their lives in the conflict, while others succumbed to illness. Almeida rebuild his life and is now happily married and has twin daughters, aged 13. Thanks to the treatment he received as a patient during the SwissABILITY training, he now has a new Monolimb prosthesis.

Nayigga is 21 years old and is from Kazo, a city in the western region of Uganda. She lives with her mother, Nannozi, who separated from her father when she was still a child, leaving Nannozi to raise Nayigga and her 5 siblings on her own.

When she was just three years old, Nayigga was attacked by a psychotically disturbed man hacked off her leg when he broke into their house. The man escaped before her parents could return, by which time Nayigga had lost a lot of blood. The only solution was to permanently amputate her leg in the hospital.

Nayigga is a cheerful and radiant young woman. Her positive spirit got her through life which improved even more when she started playing amputee football. She plays defense for the Federation of Uganda Amputee Football Association (FUAFA) team, whose president encouraged her to attend SwissABILITY’s training in Luweero in August 2023 as a beneficiary patent.

Ruhanatu is a 15-year-old girl who lives in Ghana. Ruhanatu’s life has not been easy. At the age of 13, she was diagnosed with osteomyelitis, a severe bone infection, which led to the amputation of her lower right leg. This traumatic event profoundly impacted Ruhanatu, leaving her feeling insecure and uncertain about her abilities.

Thanks to SwissABILITY, which provided her with a prosthesis during a training mission in Nsawam in July 2023, her life took a turn for the better. Her newly found mobility brought her a sense of peace and acceptance.

Now she can live her life without limitations, pursuing her dreams with a renewed sense of freedom and confidence. Ruhanatu’s story is a powerful example of how the right support can transform lives, providing hope and new opportunities to those who need it.

Comfort lives in Sierra Leone and lost her leg in 2019 in a tragic accident as a passenger on a bicycle taxi that collided with a car. The rider of the bicycle taxi died instantly but comfort survived. Unfortunately her leg was completely shattered and could not be saved.

From that moment on, her life changed dramatically: she thought she would never be able to walk, work or take care of her three children. Believing she would never be happy again, she feel into depression. Fortunately, her family were very supportive of her. Her sister looked after her while she was in the hospital and her husband, who constantly encouraged her, took care of the children. “I have a wonderful husband!” she tells us, with shining eyes and a bright smile.

Comfort received a prosthesis during the SwissABILITY training in Freetown in May 2023.

Bashiru is 8 years old and lives in Bo, Sierra Leone, with his family. He is amputated above the knee due to a congenital condition.

We had already met Bashiru in 2022, but we could not provide him with a new prosthesis due to a tumor on his residual limb, which first needed to be removed. After the operation, we were finally able to craft him a new prosthesis during an orthopedic training in Freetown in 2023. He had never had one before and had never been able to walk on his legs, having been born with a congenital condition.

Now, with his new leg, Bashiru is able to take his very first steps. He is the youngest soccer player on Bo’s SLASA team and he dreams of becoming a doctor to help people in need.

Antunes had his left leg amputated below the knee due to the explosion of a landmine in 1991, during the height of the civil war.

Antunes was indeed a soldier in the Mozambican army, and during a combat near Maputo, he accidentally stepped on a landmine hidden in the ground. Although he was immediately taken to a military hospital, it was impossible to treat him in any way, and the doctors proceeded with the amputation below the knee.

Since 1992, Antunes has meticulously maintained the only prosthesis he ever had – until now! His new Monolimb prosthesis received by SwissABILITY in Pemba is of great benefit to his mobility and peace of mind.

While working on a construction site in 2013, the tractor Paulo was driving overturned, trapping him beneath it, breaking his right leg.

Although he wanted to be taken to the hospital, Paulo was persuaded to go to a traditional healer, as is the local custom. The lack of appropriate treatment caused a gangrene to set in below the knee. Haven already lost all sensitivity to the bottom part of his leg, Paulo amputated it himself with a razor blade – then set out to the hospital to receive adequate treatment.

In November 2022, during the orthopedic training in Pemba, Mozambique, Paulo received a Monolimb, which is lighter and more comfortable and agile than the prosthesis he had previously.

Antonio is 59 years old and lives in Mozambique. During the civil war, 20-year-old Antonio was shot in the right knee. In the hospital he was treated at, he was told that the bullet had been successfully removed.

Ten years later (1994) Antonio’s wound began hurting again. A lot! Returning to the hospital, he discovered that the bullet had never been extracted. In the meantime, an untreatable infection had set in, and the doctors were left with no option but to amputate his leg above the knee.

With the new prosthesis received in Nampula in June 2023, Antonio hopes to resume a full life, continue his work at the Municipality, and take care of his many grandchildren—all activities that were more challenging with the old prosthesis.

Julieta is 53 years old and lost her leg in 1994 during the civil war in Mozambique.

Along with others, she had taken cover in a school building. A convoy of rebels passed by and threw numerous hand grenades at the building. Nobody died in the attack, but many were injured, including Julieta.

Her leg had been torn apart and after several hours, she was taken to the hospital, where what remained of her leg was sewn into a stump.

Julieta is a proud and determined lady who does not easily let the adversities of life get her down. She hopes that her new prosthesis will allow her to do everything that her old, heavy, and worn-out one didn’t.

Ana is 21 years old and lives in Mozambique. She cannot recall the event where she lost her legs, but was told that a baby, one night she woke up in her parents’ bed screaming in pain. They rushed her to the hospital, where both her legs and much of both hands were amputated.

She has two older and two younger brothers. Her mother passed away and she lives with her father, who has since remarried. Currently a high school student, Ana would like to contribute financially to
support her father and family. Despite the challenges she faces due to her amputations, she dreams of studying physiotherapy.

Ana is a very bright and intelligent girl. Thanks to the SwissABILITY training in Quelimane, she received two Monolimb prostheses, with which she will be able to be independent and continue to help her whole family with household chores and support those around her in times of difficulty.

Ines is a joyful 9 year old who lives with her parents, two sisters and a brother in Quelimane, Mozambique. She is the youngest in the family.

At 21 months old, Ines was strapped to the back of her mother, who was on a bicycle when they were involved in a hit and run accident. Ines’ leg was amputated that same day.

Despite her disability enjoys her childhood, going to school and playing with other children. In December 2023, SwissABILITY has gifted her with her first prosthesis in Quelimane, and she couldn’t be happier.

Marta lives in Mozambique, is 60 years old and has charm that wins you over and a smile that warms your heart. She lost her leg due to an accident during the civil war.

While trying to escape the horrors of the war in search of a safe place, Marta climbed onto the back of a van leaving the city of Inhambane. Unfortunately, due to the speed and the rough road, she was thrown off the van and broke a leg. No one stopped to help her, and Marta was left helpless and injured, abandoned on the road. After hours, some police officers came to her aid and transported her to the hospital, but it was too late: the doctors were forced to amputate her leg.

Thanks to the SwissABILITY training held in Inhambane in August 2024, Marta received a brand new Monolimb.

In 1993, when the civil war in Sierra Leone had been raging for two years, Vandi (then seventeen) witnessed rebels killing his parents.

Despite the trauma, he managed to escape, but rebels shot him during his flight, striking his leg. A few hours later Vandi was found by soldiers and taken to Kenema Hospital, where they decided to amputate his leg.

Rising again after so much pain was not easy, but today he can rely on the support of his wife and three children. He works as a decorator and painter, and today he can finally work with more agility and ease thanks to his first prosthesis received during the SwissABILITY training in Freetown in February 2024.